Mangaluru (The Telegraph): A man has been booked in absentia for derogatory comments posted on his Facebook page about Mangalore police commissioner S. Murugan for barring the entry of Salafi ideologue Zakir Naik into the city.
The name on the Facebook page, Akbar Kudroli, and the post in Kannada have led the police to believe he is a native of Mangalore. However, the police said he now lives in a Gulf country and action can be taken only if he lands here.
The post uses abusive language against the commissioner and his wife.
It followed the decision to ban the entry of the controversial televangelist who was scheduled to speak on January 2 at an event organised by the South Karnataka Salafi Movement (SKSM).
A preacher of the ultra-conservative Salafi stream of Islam that originated in Saudi Arabia, Naik has a substantial fan following in India and within the Muslim world. He was recently honoured by the Saudi government. But in 2010, he had been banned from entering the UK.
Radical Hindu group Bajrang Dal had earlier threatened to disrupt the event and had demanded a bar on Naik's entry in view of his earlier speeches where he made some controversial references to other religions.
Along with Naik, the police also banned the entry of VHP leader Pravin Togadia who was scheduled to address a tit-for-tat meeting organised by the Bajrang Dal in Mangalore. Togadia was earlier denied entry into Mangalore in February this year.
Issuing the order banning Naik's entry between December 31 and January 6, Murugan said the action was taken to avoid possible communal disturbances in Mangalore.
Ismail Shafi, vice-president of SKSM, described the ban as unconstitutional but said the organisation had no idea about the man who posted the abusive comments against the police chief. He said the organisation had heeded the request of home minister G. Parameshwar and put off the event by two months.
Shafi described Naik as an inter-faith scholar. "He is an expert in Hindu and Christian scriptures as well and tries to promote harmony between religions," Shafi said. Asked about the UK ban, Shafi described it as "temporary".
